Clear Lake

On the scoring rubric Clear Lake grades a D: clarity at 1.0 ft and 81 µg/L of phosphorus keep it in the lower bracket for Martin County. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The hypereutrophic status — TSI 72 — reflects sustained heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed and frequent algal pressure. A maximum depth of just 7 ft means sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the water column whenever wind stirs the bottom — a classic shallow-lake dynamic. The lake's 267 acres and 2.7 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Within Martin County's 14 graded waters, Clear Lake sits at rank 2, near the top of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Clear Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 12 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Clear Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 6 observed ice-outs, centered near Mar 21. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.